Lil Yachty

Nuthin' 2 Prove - Mediocre, Based on 4 Critics

New Musical Express (NME) - 60Based on rating 3/5

60

It's the second studio album from the cherry red-haired rapper in the space of seven months - but is he prizing quantity over quality? You have to wonder if Lil Yachty's label, Quality Control Music, insert a clause into every record deal they offer which handsomely rewards prolificacy. Take their jewel in the crown, Migos: the trio are set to release their third 'Culture' album early next year (the series' previous instalment, which came out in January, consisted of 24 tracks and lasted for an energy-sapping 106 minutes), taking their total up to an astonishing four studio albums in the past three-and-a-half years. In addition to that, solo records from each of the Migos are set to continue the windfall, with Quavo having kicked things off this month with 'Quavo Huncho'.

It's a good thing Lil Yachty feels he doesn't have to meet anyone's approval rating because his latest album likely won't set anyone's bar standard. At its best moments, his third studio album in Nuthin’ 2 Prove is moderately enjoyable; inoffensively sliding into upbeat trap playlists without ruining the energy. Far too often, however, the album is bogged down by a lack of charisma and painfully bland hooks, showcasing an artist who has seemingly reached the limits of his creativity and has nowhere else to turn.

Lil Yachty and his consortium of backers either didn't hear a single on Lil Boat 2 or held a losing vote in favor of issuing one. Despite being termed an album rather than a mixtape, the set had a strangely brief promotional cycle, and within four months of its March 2018 release was trailed by "Who Want the Smoke?," a single off the follow-up LP, Nuthin' 2 Prove, which was out that October. Technically the rhyming entertainer's third album, this is split between what he categorizes as "rap" and "melodic." The first half, supported with productions of austere booming menace, indeed continues with aggravated boasts and threats similar to those heard on Lil Boat 2.

Lil Yachty just can't win. That, or he keeps changing how he plays the game. His initial "bubblegum trap" sound was widely derided by purists. Even by Soundcloud rapper standards, Yachty was catching considerable flack. But the problem wasn't that his music wasn't hard; it's that it wasn't ….